24 October, 2013

Chris tasked me with giving the 29er Camargue a good
thrashing at Rosaryville State Park. I’ve ridden those trails many times with
my single speed hardtail and full squish. This bike can be characterized in one
word: addicting.

Its full rigid nature means that you have a much stronger
connection to the ride and terrain. No pedal bob means that you can negotiate
obstacles with more confidence and choose your lines deliberately, as opposed to
just rolling over and losing speed. Choosing your lines makes you a better and
faster rider, especially when negotiating obstacles and climbing varied
terrain. The 56mm mid-trail design makes for an ultra stable and confident
ride when going around curves: no diving or understeer.

The Alfine 8 was a very cool experience. Shifting without
pedaling was great even though I had to click several times to increase tension,
as opposed to how other Shimano trigger shifters perform. There are a few downsides. The 8-speed, 20T sprocket mated to a 34T front ring gave enough range for a
lightweight ride, but not enough, as Casey mentioned, for a loaded rig. An 11-speed or a Rohloff would be a better fit for bikepacking with an IGH.

The bars are great. Would using a bar like the nitto noodle negatively impact the dirt/gravel experience? I intend to ride this bike long distances on mixed road / trail, mostly trail. I can't make up my mind about which bars to use though.

@Adam and AdrianQ,Frames should be available late Winter/Early Spring. The first batch of bars will be here around early Dec.

@A,The noodles, or any drop bar, wouldn't detract from the gravel/dirt road experience, although you may not be allowed on some of the cooler trails without our crazy bars ;) MTB riding would be harder with drops because you wouldn't have the ability to turn very quickly. This is due to the position of your body over the front end and less leverage due to a narrower bar.